I’ve worked on a couple of environmental focused websites such as VerdantConcepts and Greener Earth Maps. A concern has always been the benefit/environmental cost ratio of running servers 24/7 that use up power and resources. This has been a big issue in persistant worlds such as Second Life where every acre of digital world has a real-world cost due to maintaining the simulation, even if no one is there!.

Therefore, it was a happy surprise when one of the hosting companies I use (such as this blog), Dreamhost, announced they are carbon neutral. What this means is they’ve purchased certificates from a carbon offset provider. You can be carbon neutral by planting trees, using renewable energies, use carbon sequestration techniques, or the easy (yet effective) method of buying carbon offsets from an organization that will do this for you.

The internet, and computing usage, has a huge, and growing, impact on the environment. Companies create power stations just to power large internet companies and their hosting requirements. Therefore it is important to understand this impact and alleviate it through any of those means mentioned above.

In some ways, it is buying yourself the “Green” label, but in the end the effect is the same. You’re putting your money where the need is, saving the environment.

So the question you should all be asking yourselves: “Is my hosting provider carbon neutral?” If not, make them, or move to one that is.

Update: for the low-down on how carbon offsets reallythis informative-info-graphic from Salon. (thanks to Sean Gillies for being the sleuthy detective in finding this gem via Reddit).

I’m a fan of splimes - web-enabled, syndicated sensor-webs. What I find both hilarious, and ingenious, are these GPS-enabled, sensor-laden pigeons.

In a project known as PigeonBlog, sensors in the backpacks collect data on toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, as the birds wing through city skies.

The information is then sent back to a central computer, which automatically posts a map of the pollutants’ concentration on the Internet.

The entire package costs just $250 USD and weighs 1.3oz. Not a bad size for distributing these to people to carry around as well. Apparently the sensor itself is a modified smoke detector.

Go check out PigeonBlog

National Geographic’s Digital Places has a new story about using GeoRSS: Disaster Prediction, Social Networking Boosted by Geo-Data Feeds.

In particular, it covers how GeoRSS can enable environment monitoring and notifications and is useful for more than (though in addition to) tracking your friends and travel photographs.

You should also see the NG article on Global Positioning Tech Inspires Do-It-Yourself Mapping Project, about OpenStreetMap.

Andri Snaer talks about how last night, all the lights were turned off in INSERT_ADDRESS. Then a famous astronomer talked about the night sky over the radio for people to enjoy the natural beauty of the cosmos.

I think this is a simply marvelous idea. I’ve been in several European cities when they’ve had “Car Free days”, most recently in Brussels during EuroOSCON. The idea is one day of the week that everyone will go car free, and enjoy the relative quiet and easy biking/strolling about town.

Overall, I am an idealistic technocrat. I really enjoy technology, gadgets, programming, etc. However, I also enjoy natural beauty and the environment as it is. I hope that towns here in the US start promoting these sorts of activities. I mean, what’s the worse that can happen, people actually think its a good idea and turn off their lights at night?

Living in the motor city you sometimes wonder about its support of the environment. Well, I was surprised, and pleased, to get a link to the Detroit Green Map. They seem to have worked with GreenMap to use the standard icon set.

You should also check out Sustainable Detroit, which is working to promote the idea of sustainable living. Power to them!

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